Najim Haidary

Abdul Najim Haidary (born 26 December 1999) is an Afghan international footballer who plays as a defender for Ariana in Sweden. Internationally, he plays for Afghanistan national football team.

Club career
Having progressed through the academy of Excelsior Rotterdam, Haidary joined Tweede Divisie side BVV Barendrecht in 2018, going on to make his debut for the club later the same year. After three appearances, he joined Eerste Divisie side FC Den Bosch in 2019, but during his time with the club he suffered a serious knee injury which side-lined him for eight months, and he was unable to make his debut.

In February 2022, he returned to the Tweede Divisie with ASWH. However, despite making fifteen appearances, he could not help prevent the club being relegated to the Derde Divisie. Ahead of the 2022–23 season, in August 2022, he moved to Cyprus, joining Cypriot Third Division side ENAD.

After only two appearances for ENAD, Haidary moved to Sweden, joining Ettan Fotboll side Ariana.

International career
Haidary was eligible to represent both Afghanistan and the Netherlands at international level, and during his time in the academy of Excelsior Rotterdam, his coach, Marinus Barendregt, was in contact with then-manager of the Afghanistan national football team, Anoush Dastgir, informing Dastgir that Haidary was a player in the team with Afghan roots.

In December 2018, having made his debut in the Tweede Divisie for Barendrecht, but still mostly featuring for their second team, Haidary received a call-up to the Afghanistan national football team for a training camp. The following year, he made his international debut in a 1–1 friendly draw with Tajikistan, and by October of the same year, he had already featured in two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification games.

Following his call-up in November 2021, he stated that he was proud to represent Afghanistan, and that he played for the country, not for the Taliban, who had taken control of the nation earlier in the year, forcing the national team to play their home games in other countries.

Personal life
Though he was born in Amsterdam, Haidary's parents live in Afghanistan, and in August 2021, following the 2021 Taliban offensive, he stated that the situation was "very scary" and that he feared for his family.

Club

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